2 companies moving to Wallkill

TOWN OF WALLKILL — Two companies that distribute heavy machinery plan to move into the vacant Delfino Insulation building by the end of the year.

Jessica DiNapoli

TOWN OF WALLKILL — Two companies that distribute heavy machinery plan to move into the vacant Delfino Insulation building by the end of the year.

Northeast Equipment Group and Eastern Processing Equipment are moving to the Middletown area. The companies already sell equipment, like crushing, conveying and recycling machinery, in the region and want to grow their business here, according to documents filed with the Planning Board.

The Town of Wallkill space will be the base for their New York operations, said Damien Donaghy, president of Northeast Equipment Group.

The companies also have locations in Hopewell Junction, Philadelphia and Kearny, N.J., Donaghy said. Northeast and Eastern are affiliated companies and sell similar machinery, but have different territories, he said.

The 20,000-square-foot building — which is visible but not directly accessible from I-84 — has been vacant for about two years. Delfino Insulation built the warehouse and office space 10 years ago and hoped to expand from Long Island into the mid-Hudson Valley, whose housing market was going gangbusters at the time. Delfino installs insulation in homes and provides other products and services for residential real estate.

At one point, the company employed 35 people in the Wallkill, but plans for growth faltered during the recession, said Michael Delfino Sr., the founder of the Long Island-based company.

"Since the recession, it went to pot," Delfino said. "I wasn't going to keep it open and spin my wheels."

Delfino still has several locations on Long Island.

Swiss company MCT Consult had planned to move into the building this year. MCT, which manufactures components for tunnels, bridges and power plants, was relocating to the region because it was going to help build the Tappan Zee Bridge. But the deal fell through earlier this year, said Peter Malone of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Co., who is representing Delfino.

The owner of the company, Roland Murer, was traveling and did not return emails seeking comment.

Northeast and Eastern first expressed an interest in the building in June, Malone said. He expects this deal will close in October, after a Planning Board meeting. The property is listed for $1.2 million.

Northeast and Eastern plan to bring five jobs to the Town of Wallkill and could eventually employ 20 people, according to documents filed with the Planning Board.